


Rescue, Nurture, and Protect

by Emptynarration



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: A lot of the first film written down, Adorable Newt Scamander, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Domestic Fluff, Family, Family Fluff, Father Newt Scamander, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Living in Newt Scamander's Suitcase, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild hurt, Newt rescues Obscurials and takes care of them, Obscurials (Harry Potter), Obscurus (Harry Potter), One of them lives in his case currently, Protective Newt Scamander, Slow Build, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-05 17:51:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17329667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emptynarration/pseuds/Emptynarration
Summary: Newt didn't just come to New York to pass through to Arizona to release Frank.He knows there is an Obscurial in the city, and he plans to rescue them. As he does with every Obscurial he finds.But then his creatures get lose, the Obscurial in his case -a young boy- gets taken away from him, and the other Obscurial in the city is in dire need of help.But someone else is already trying to find them too.





	1. Chapter 1

Newt didn't just come to New York to pass through to get to Arizona and release Frank back into the wild. No, he had heard about what was happening in New York, had gotten news of the destruction of all that was going on. And it all pointed to an Obscurial, at least, that's what Newt is thinking so far.

Snapping the clasp on his case shut again, he walked through customs easily, making his way out to the streets of New York. Somehwere in this city, there would be another Obscurial. Some poor child who had to hide their magic and had learned to resent it. It was a painful thought, but one Newt had met with a lot of the time already.

“This great city sparkles with the jewels of man's inventions. Movie theaters, automobiles, the wireless, electric lights, all dazzle and bewitch us.”, a woman's voice rang through the small crowd of people that had gathered, into which Newt accidentally walked. He bumped into another lady, softly excusing himself.  
“But where there is light, there is shadow, friend.”, the woman continued. Newt could see her now, standing on the stairs leading to a building. There was a banner next to her, hands holding a broken -wand? And fire beneath it.  
“Something is stalking our city, wreaking destruction, and then disappearing without a trace! Listen to me. We have to fight. Join us, the Second Salemers, in our fight.”, she was raising his voice, and Newt had gotten to almost the front of the crowd, taking in the picture of the woman.  
“You hear me? We have to fight together, for the sake of our-”, a man fell over Newt's case, which he had just put down to not strain his arm as he listened to the woman. Newt was quick to pick up his case again, checking that it was still closed.  
“So sorry, my case..”, he said, watching the burly man stand up again.  
“No harm done.”, he replied, though looked slightly exasperated. He turned to hurry up the steps, groaning a “Excuse me” as he went past the lady, and a young girl holding flyers in her hand.

“You!”, the woman who had talked said then, pointing straight at Newt. “Friend.”. Newt looked confused at her, did she mean him? Surely she did, looking at him like that. She was coming down a few steps, so she wouldn't have to yell to talk to Newt.  
“What drew you to our meeting today?”, she asked, seemingly genuinely curious.  
“O-oh, I was just passing.”, Newt replied, motioning slightly with his free hand. He hadn't intended to really stay and listen, but her speech had made him curious.  
“Are you a seeker?”, she asked then, “A seeker after truth?”.  
Newt didn't quite understand what she was asking for. “I'm more of a chaser, really.”, he answered nonetheless. He did chase whatever he had to after all.

“Hear my words.”, the woman was addressing the crowd again, voice raised and her gaze lifted from Newt -who was very thankful for that. He hated eye contact. “And heed my warning. And laugh if you dare!”, she seemed quite serious.  
“Witches live among us.”, she said, and Newt felt slightly called out. He had just been addressed, and was very much a wizard. “We have to fight together, for the sake of our children! For the sake of tomorrow!”.  
Newt noticed a young man handing out flyers, and curiously approached. He was slightly hunched over, not making eye contact, and barely raising his gaze whenever someone took an offered flyer from his hands.  
“What do you say to that, friend?”, the woman addressed Newt again, who had his eyes somewhere else at the moment. He could see his niffler up the stairs, pulling a hat close to himself and pulling out the shiny coins inside of it.

“Excuse me.”, Newt hurried past the woman up the stairs, hoping he'd be able to catch the niffler again quickly. He would keep this in mind, though. The Second Salemers, hateful towards witches -and thus wizard-kind. It seemed like a perfect place for an Obscurial to grow, if one of the children were exposed to such hate constantly. He would have to investigate later, though. Right now, he had a niffler to catch.

Newt tried to hurry through the mass of people inside of the bank, chasing after his niffler. He could see it every now and then, pulling off shiny things from people's clothes, jumping into purses, tugging at clasps of suitcases. Newt hoped he could catch it but- the niffler got on the other side of where the public was allowed, and Newt had to act.  
And then there was this person who somehow had gotten ahold of the occamy egg he had been carrying, and he _had_ to use magic to get his egg and also get to find his niffler. This was all very very bad.

He saw his niffler squeeze into the vault, right after his occamy hatched in his hands and he had put it back into his case. With a simple “ _Alohomora_ ” the vault was opening, though he could hear someone come down the steps. He couldn't let anyone see him, and the muggle. It would just be a mess for him to get caught opening the vault, and the muggle would get into trouble with the police force most likely as well.  
“Stay quiet.”, Newt told the man and quickly cast a disillusionment charm over him, before facing whoever was coming. When the man stopped, Newt quickly cast a “ _Petrificus Totalus_ ” on the man, before hurrying into the open vault. He grabbed the niffler with a shake of his head, shaking him upside-down until every last bit of gold and coins had fallen out of his pouch. He obliviated the man who had came down to the vault and lifted the charm off of the muggle, before apparating outside of the bank with him.

“Right. For the last time, you pilfering pest, paws off what doesn't belong to you.”, Newt set his case down and opened it with his free hand not holding the niffler. He put the little creature inside his case and quickly closed it again, pushing closed the clasps. Standing again, he turned towards the muggle, who was pressed against the wall. “Awfully sorry about that.”.  
“What the hell was that?”, the muggle asked, pressed against the wall, watching almost fearful at Newt. Newt wasn't liking what he had to do, but he'd get in trouble if he didn't obliviate him.  
“Nothing that need concern you.”, Newt replied. “Now, unfortunately, you have seen far too much.”. He pulled the muggle off the wall by his coat, before straightening the man's clothes again.  
“If you wouldn't mind, if you just stand there, this'll be over in a jiffy.”. He turned away from the man to pull out his wand.  
“Mh-hm, sure, yeah.”, the muggle muttered. He grabbed one of the two cases on the ground -they looked pretty identical- and quickly hit Newt over the head with it, before hurrying out of the alley they were in, a shaky “sorry” leaving him.

Newt wasn't too hurt by it, though his head ached now, and he stood back up, watching the man hurry away. “Bugger.”, he sighed. That would probably come and bite him in the arse later.  
Seeing a woman hurriedly walking into the alley he was in, Newt stepped out of sight. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his case, before he made his way out and walked calmly. He tried to keep his gaze lowered, glancing at the woman again and again. And when he was just passing him, he barely had time to feel her touch and the pull of apparation.

“Who are you?”, the woman was panting slightly, probably having chased around after him. Bugger.  
“I'm sorry.”, Newt said quietly, glancing at the woman as he leaned against the wall where they were hiding, not daring to look at her.  
“Who are you?”, she repeated again, voice quieter than before. Finally, Newt looked up at her, though didn't look into her eyes, keeping his gaze lower.  
“Newt Scamander. And you are?”, he replied, though she talked right over him after he said his name.  
“What's that thing in your case?”, she asked, clearly unhappy, motioning at the case at Newt's side.  
“That's my niffler.”, Newt said, looking down at his case and away from her, before he glanced at her again.  
“Say, you've got something on your-”, he raised his hand, which came close to touching her, making the woman flinch back and him shut up.  
“Why in the name of Deliverance Dane did you let that thing loose?”, she asked, exasperated.  
“I didn't mean to. He's incorrigible, you see.”, Newt replied, gaze going up, not wanting to look at her, before looking back down at his case, and then at her again. “Anything shiny, he's all over-”.  
“You didn't mean to?”, she cut him off.  
“No.”.  
“You could not have chosen a worse time to let that creature loose.”, she said, sighing. “We're in the middle of a situation here!”.  
“I'm taking you in.”, she said, looking rather unhappy, pulling something out of her grey overcoat.  
“Was it- taking me in where?”, Newt asked, looking around, not liking this. He had more important things to do! Like searching for the Obscurial, and then go to Arizona to free Frank. And he desperately had to check in on his case, and its inhabitants.

“Magical Congress of the United States of America.”, she replied, holding out her Identification Card for him to see. He watched her quietly as she put it away again.  
“So you work for MACUSA.”, he said, voice soft. This was going to be a problem. Maybe he could get out of this alright, without too much trouble. He had taken care that nothing was stolen from the bank, there had been no alarm, and the worker inside was obliviated. Only the muggle that had been with him had escaped without being obliviated.  
“What are you, some kind of investigator?”, Newt asked, wondering why she bothered with him. He hadn't been able to read what she was on the card for the moment she had held it out to him.  
She avoided the question though, which seemed rather suspicious to him, but what was he to do? Call her out on it? Definitely not.  
“At least tell me you took care of the No-Maj.”, she said then, hoping that there would be no further trouble with this man. Other than that creature of his, and whatever else he might have in that case of his. Enlargement charms were illegal.  
“The what?”, Newt asked, confused. What in the world was a No-Maj?  
“The No-Maj.”, she repeated, looking at him like she couldn't believe he didn't understand. “No-Magic. The non-wizard!”.  
Newt made a sound of realization, nodding his head. “Oh, sorry. We call them muggles.”, he tried to excuse himself.  
“You wiped his memory, right?”, she asked, disregarding his words. “The No-Maj with the case?”.  
Newt stayed quiet, not able to lie to her. He was a terrible liar, he just couldn't bring himself to. “Uhm..”.  
“Oh..”, the woman sighed. “That's a Section 3-A, Mr Scamander.”, she said, and she sounded like she regretted the words, which Newt really didn't understand. “I'm taking you in.”.

With that, she grabbed his arm, and apparated again.

After a bit of a small mayhem in the Woolworth building -Newt couldn't help but think how his friend would love to be here and see this- Goldstein -the woman having taken him in- was going to open his case, in the presence of this Abernathy, and Director Graves. But, the opening revealed only pastries inside the case, and Newt couldn't have been more scared. That muggle- he must have grabbed his case instead of his own!

“I can't believe you didn't obliviate that man.”, Tina said as they walked together along the street, the woman carrying the case with the pastries. “If there's an inquiry, I'm finished.”.  
“Why would you be finished?”, Newt asked, curious. “I'm the one that's-”  
“I'm not supposed to go near the Second Salemers.”, she interrupted him, making Newt shut up. How awfully rude of her to interrupt him all the time. They stopped walking when something flew in front of them -a Billywig. It was quick to fly off again, and Newt's attention was immediately on his case, walking again.  
“What was that?”, Tina asked, following Newt.  
“Uh, moth, I think. Big moth.”, Newt replied, and they could hear the riot of people around the corner. Newt knew that if a billywig had gotten out, there must have been more.

Newt and Tina approached, hearing the crowd of people around an officer, standing in front of a partly collapsed building. While passing, Newt could hear a man talking about the Erumpent, and silently cast a spell to change his memory and his words, so they all claimed it was another gas explosion that had caused this.  
With no one's attention on Newt, he quickly entered the building, while Tina stayed behind, looking up at yet another billywig in the air. Once she noticed Newt wasn't at her side anymore, she hurried to follow him inside.  
By now, Newt had already found the muggle. Collapsed, laying on the ground, with two bloody puncture wounds on his neck.  
“Mr Scamander!”, he could hear Tina call faintly, probably just having entered the building. Quickly, he cast a “ _Reparo_ ”, the building fixing itself with the motions of his wand. He quickly sat down once finished, grabbing his case - _his_ case- and opening, looking inside to try and see from up here if he could tell who was gone. He was quick to close it again when he heard Tina though, shutting the clasps as she entered the room he was in.

“It was open?”, she asked, almost in disbelief. Well, he would've been too, if he didn't know the clasp was broken, and thus made it far too easy for the creatures to escape.  
“Just a smidge.”, Newt replied, looking at Tina with wide eyes, hoping she wouldn't try and take his case from him. He had to protect his creatures, and his friend.  
“That crazy Niffler thing's on the loose again?”, Tina asked, hoping against hope it wouldn't be.  
“Uh... might be.”, Newt replied, an uncertain smile on his lips. Probably not just the niffler was gone, judging from the damage to the building there had been.  
“Then look for it.”, Tina said, before setting the other case down and hurrying into the room, finally having noticed the muggle on the ground.  
“Look! Oh...”, she made a worried sound, crouching down by the muggle. “His neck's bleeding.”, she noted, looking at Newt almost accusingly, before focusing on the man again.  
“He's hurt! Oh... Wake up! Mr No-Maj.”, she tried, before something hissed, and she yelped, falling backwards onto the ground, as a creature jumped out. Newt was quick to react and grabbed it though, setting his case on the ground to open it and drop it inside.  
“What on earth is that?”, Tina asked, staying on the ground, watching warily.  
“It's nothing to worry about.”, Newt replied, while the muggle had managed to push himself up, rubbing his forehead and eyes -probably sporting a headache.

“That is a Murtlap.”, Newt answered then, closing his case once more, looking over at Tina.  
“What else have you got in there?”, she asked, very unhappy about this entire situation. Thankfully, he was spared an answer, as the muggle finally got to his senses and saw Newt.  
“You?”, he spoke, in slight disbelief.  
“Hello.”, Newt greeted and smiled at the muggle, probably slightly strained. When the man tried to stand up, Tina was quick to stop him.  
“Easy, Mr..”, she said, getting back into a crouching position.  
“Kowalski. Jacob.”, the muggle replied, exasperated. He sounded as unhappy about the situation like he looked like. His day must've been rather bad.  
Newt pulled his wand out, ready to obliviate the muggle finally. But then, Tina threw herself in front of him.  
“You can't obliviate him.”, she said, “We need him as a witness.”.  
Newt lowered his wand, shaking his head lightly, not understanding this madness. “I'm sorry. You've just yelled at me the length of New York for not doing it in the first place.”, he really didn't understand this woman.  
“He's hurt! He looks ill!”, Tina argued, the muggle behind her, already dizzy again.  
“He'll be fine. Murtlap bites aren't serious.”, Newt argued, thought the muggle -Jacob- was groaning, clearly feeling terrible. Tina gave a pointed look at Newt at the sounds.  
“Yeah, I admit that is a slightly more severe reaction than I've seen.”, Newt said, gaze flicking around the room, uncomfortable. “But if it was really serious, he'd have-”, he cut himself off, slightly uncomfortable. Jacob was on his arms and knees, and Tina behind him was getting back up on her feet. Jacob was pulling himself up along the wall, on his knees still.  
“What?”, Tina prompted Newt to continue, who could barely look at her.  
“Well the first symptom would be flames out of his anus.”, he explained, words more quick than before. “He doesn't seem to-”  
“This is balled up!”, Tina interrupted, as she seemed to like doing.  
“It'll last 48 hours at the most.”, Newt continued. “I can keep him, if you want me to.”, even though he really didn't want to do that. He was sure his friend would love another person to talk to for a while, but..

“Keep him?”, Tina interrupted his thoughts. “We don't keep them! Mr Scamander, do you know anything about the wizarding community in America?”. She was clearly tired of Newt and his ways, his way of thinking and doing.  
“I do know a few things, actually.”, Newt replied and nodded. “I know that you have rather backwards laws about relations with Non-Magic people.”. He even managed to look her in the eyes to say that, because he really thought these laws were stupid. “That you're not meant to befriend them. That you can't marry them, which seems mildly absurd to me.”.  
“Who's gonna marry him?”, Tina asked, motioning to Jacob for a moment, and very much missing Newt's point. Making the man look at her with wide eyes, and not even getting a chance to answer.  
“You're both coming with me.”, she said, walking over to Jacob, to help him onto his feet finally.  
“I don't see why I need to come with you.”, Newt said. He had to go find and capture his creatures again.  
“Help me.”, Tina disregarded his words again, as Jacob couldn't hold himself on his feet, clutching onto her tightly.  
“I'm dreaming, right?”, Jacob asked, collapsing back to the ground, Tina not really able to hold him up. “Yeah.”, Jacob continued.  
Tina looked up at Newt. “Please.”.  
“I'm tired.”, Jacob was talking to himself. “I never went to the bank.”.  
Newt finally went to help, setting his case down to help get Jacob onto his feet.  
“This is all just some big nightmare, right?”.  
“For the both of us, Mr Kowalski.”, Tina said, an arm of Jacob's slung over her shoulders, while Newt held Jacob's other arm. They apparated away again, once Newt grabbed his case again.

After a forced dinner with Tina and her sister -a natural Legilimens, great- Newt was more than glad when he could finally go down into his case. He really needed to check on his creatures, and he had to take care of Jacob as well, and his friend-

Once Newt was down the case, and made sure wave Jacob down as well, he was immediately tackled in a hug, making him stumble a few steps back with a soft laugh.  
“Mom!”, a child called, barely reaching Newt's hips, holding onto him tightly. The young boy was barely ten years old, skin dark and hair a bright straw-blond. His right eye a dark brown, and his left eye a bright blue.  
“Yes yes Seraph. I'm here.”, Newt said, picking the child up and stepping away from the ladder. He didn't want to be in the way when Jacob eventually stumbled in. A wise decision, as Jacob fell down a few seconds later, having missed the thin ladder.

“Who's that?”, Seraph asked, curiously looking towards Jacob, who had righted himself and pressed himself back against the ladder, looking around the messy shed.  
“That's Jacob Kowalski.”, Newt replied, setting Seraph down onto his desk. “Will you sit down?”, he asked Jacob, who nodded, sitting with a muttered “Good idea.”.  
“I'm Seraph Scamander!”, Seraph called, smiling brightly. He swung his legs where he was sitting, watching Jacob and Newt curiously.  
“Not really. He's a child I rescued. Long story.”, Newt dismissed, though smiled fondly. Seraph was an Obscurial he had rescued three years ago. Since then, Seraph had learned a bit about magic, and was doing rather well health-wise with his Obscurus. He wasn't the first Obscurial Newt had met and taken care of, but the first who stayed with him for so long. The child had gotten awfully attached, as had Newt.

Newt got to work then, touching the wounds on Kowalski's neck. “That's definitely the Murtlap.”, he said and sighed, moving to gather the ingredients he needed to make the medicine for Jacob.  
“Oh yeah, sorry I couldn't help keep them all in.”, Seraph spoke up again, frowning.  
“It's quite alright. I can't ask you to keep them all inside by yourself.”, Newt smiled softly at the child. He didn't like having him feel responsible for something he wasn't. Seraph nodded lightly in reply, staying quiet.  
“You, Mr Kowalski, must be particularly susceptible. See, you're a muggle, so our physiologies are subtly different.”, Newt explained, as he made a paste and got some pills out of a little jar. He applied the paste to the little wounds, and gave the pills together with a mug of water to Jacob to take.  
“That should stop the sweating.”, Newt said and walked over to Seraph, gently lifting his chin. The child had bandages wrapped around his throat, which Newt gently pulled off. “And one of those should sort the twitch.”, he added.

“How are you doing?”, Newt asked softly, taking in the marks on Seraph's skin, before grabbing a little jar again to smear the paste inside it onto them.  
“I'm good! Missed you an awful lot, though.”, Seraph replied, head leaning back as he let Newt work, glad when Newt wrapped fresh bandages around his throat again.  
“I know. Couldn't risk anything taking you up with me though. You know how muggles are.”, Newt replied, laying a hand onto Seraph's head with a soft smile.  
“I know. But I like it down here! And I'm glad you're back!”, Seraph smiled brightly, hugging Newt again. It made the older man laugh softly, hugging Seraph back gently.  
“Alright alright. Let's feed the creatures, hm?”, Newt suggested with a smile, and Seraph nodded, letting go of Newt. He grabbed a cleaver then, preparing some chunks of meat laying on his workbench, before throwing them into a bucket. He handed one of them to Jacob, before they left the shed -Seraph following behind Newt.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this OC, and I really wanted to use him, so here this is.  
> I don't know how much I'll be able to update this, since it goes closely along the movie, but hey  
> If I don't continue this at all, at least we have the idea of it? :'D
> 
> Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

It quickly became very clear to Jacob not only how amazing the wizarding world was, but also how much Newt cared for his creatures, and Seraph. The little boy was very excited helping his “mom” out taking care of the creatures, happily telling Jacob all about them with all the knowledge he had about them, making Newt obviously proud. He clearly loved the little boy, which raised one big question for Jacob.

“Why's your kid staying in the case?”, Jacob asked, as they were making their way through the streets, searching for any hint for a creature.  
“Well, Seraph is... special. Among wizards. He's sick, in a way. And this sickness makes wizards generally afraid of the person sick. Enough to... kill them.”, Newt replied, clearly hesitant to tell Jacob about it. But he trusted the man, they were friends. Kinda? He hoped so.  
“Even a child?”, Jacob asked, bewildered that someone would be willing to kill a child just because of a sickness.  
“It usually only happens to children. They die from the sickness when they're not taken care of properly. I haven't found a way to... cure them. I'm helping, though. And Seraph shows no signs of being terribly affected anymore. So I'm hoping.”, Newt sighed softly, before spotting a trail of shiny gems on the ground. Niffler.  
“Please don't tell _anyone_ about Seraph. He's safest when he's in the case, and away from other wizards. No one knows about him, but you and me. Not even my brother knows about him.”, Newt pleaded, looking towards Jacob. He didn't want his friend -his _child_ \- to be in danger.

“I won't tell a soul.”, Jacob replied with a smile and a nod, and he could see the relief on Newt's face. Seraph clearly meant the world to him, and Jacob wouldn't tell anyone about the kid. And he'd do his damndest not to think about him either, at least around Queenie. She couldn't help but read their minds after all, so he had to guard his thoughts around her for a while at the very least. He was sure he'd be able to manage that though at the very least.

Together, Newt and Jacob managed to catch the niffler -Newt almost forgetting to obliviate the police when they come, though quickly managing to before apparating away with Jacob. The broken jewelry store would be alright, nothing was missing after all. And as long as no one remembered Newt nor Jacob, they wouldn't really have to worry.  
Next then they caught the Erumpent, being sure that Seraph would welcome the caught creatures with ease. They all knew him after all, and everything would be okay. Still, both Jacob and Newt hopped into the case once they caught the escaped miss, to make sure she and the niffler were both alright. Only when they tried to get out again, did they realize someone had closed the case shut and was carrying it around.

Newt was worrying his head off. Who could've taken his case? Who would've found it, in the middle of the night, under a bridge on top of a frozen river?  
“Relax. It's probably just Tina, or Queenie.”, Jacob tried to calm the man down. Who else would've grabbed the case, but not looked inside?  
“Well, Tina might carry us into MACUSA again.”, Newt worried, chewing on his lip. Tina had been very intent on arresting him after all, and now with his creatures lose -an occamy was still missing, Seraph had told him he was sure of it, just like Dougal was also gone- who knows what could happen!

When three knocks rang through the case, everyone froze. “Well, better go check?”, Jacob said, with an uncertain smile. There was nothing else they could do. They _had_ to go out. Everyone knew about Newt and Jacob.  
“Seraph. Whatever happens, stay in here. And don't forget, never _ever_ let them know your special. Don't show them your power.”, Newt addressed the child, hands on his shoulders. Seraph looked up at Newt as he talked, and nodded.  
“No one will know mom. I'm too young to learn magic!”, Seraph replied and smiled. Newt managed a small smile in return, nodding and gently ruffling his hair, before turning to the ladder.  
“Let's go..”, Newt muttered, and climbed up the ladder. He pushed open the lid of the case, first thing seeing Tina standing there, looking down at him. With disappointment? He wasn't sure, she just seemed more than unhappy.

Newt climbed out completely then, looking around the room slowly. This was bad. They were clearly in MACUSA, and there were _many_ people around. Important people. He wished he could've told Jacob to stay in the case too, because when he climbed out as well, he paled slightly.   
Newt quickly bent to close his case again, so nothing would get past Seraph and out. “Scamander?”, a male voice spoke, making Newt look up.  
“Oh, hello, Minister.”, he greeted, unable to meet the man's gaze. This was terrible.

“Theseus Scamander?”

“The war hero?”

“No. This is his little brother.”

Different voices spoke up, and Newt was uncomfortable, looking at the ground. Until the minister spoke up again, at the very least. “And what are you doing in New York?”.  
“I came to buy an Appaloosa Puffskein, sir.”, he replied, looking up. An innocent enough lie, and one he hoped would pass at the very least.  
“Right.”, the man clearly didn't believe it. “What are you really doing here?”.  
Newt was uncomfortable, trying to rake his brain for an answer that would be satisfying without showing what -he was aware of were very- illegal things he was carrying. He was spared an answer though, when president Piquery spoke again.

“Goldstein, who is this?”, she asked, not bothering to look at Newt and Jacob standing in the middle of the room, instead looking at Tina.  
“This is Jacob Kowalski, Madam President.”, Tina replied, taking a few tentative steps forward. “He's a No-Maj who got bitten by one of Mr Scamander's creatures.”.

“No-Maj? Obliviate him.”

“Obliviate him.”

People around them spoke, making Jacob nervously look around. He didn't want that! Newt had told him -he'd forget everything about magic. He very much didn't want that.  
That was the moment Newt noticed the ghostly image floating in the air above them, in the middle of the room. Something he recognized immediately, easily.  
“Merlin's beard.”, he exclaimed softly, leaning back slightly, shocked. He had known there was an Obscurial in the city, but he hadn't heard about any deaths..  
“You know which of your creatures was responsible, Mr Scamander?”, a lady spoke up, looking at Newt expectantly.   
Newt kept looking up at the image of the young man, blinking at it. “No creature did this.”, he said, voice soft. Afraid to raise his voice in the presence of this many high ranked people.  
“Don't pretend.”, he shook his head lightly. As if these people didn't know. How could they not? “You must know what that was. Look at the marks.”, he motioned up at the floating image, hand on his chin. They had to know, just be denying it.

“That was an Obscurus.”.

A general murmur erupted around him, and Newt knew he _had_ to find the Obscurial soon. This must be the first victim of the child, and he couldn't let them suffer any longer. He had to find them, and calm them, take care of them,  
“You go too far, Mr Scamander.”, Piquery said. “There is no Obscurial in America.”. Newt looked up at the image unbelievingly. How could she just deny that?  
“Impound that case, Graves.”, Piquery addressed the man sitting at the side, and immediately Graves silently and wandlessly summoned the case to his side. Prompting Newt to panic.  
“Wait,no. Give that back-”, he fumbled for his wand, at the same time as the president went on.  
“Arrest them.”  
Graves was quick to act, pulling out his wand and pulling Newt, Jacob, and even Tina, into the air, just to bring them to their knees and bind their arms behind their backs. Newt couldn't care less about himself, all that was on his mind was Seraph, and his creatures.

Don't hurt those creatures.”, he begged, looking at Graves, who stood with his case in hand. “Please. You don't understand. Nothing in there's dangerous. _Nothing_.”. His tone got desperate, and he didn't want anyone to look into his case -though he knew there was nothing he could do but beg.  
“We'll be the judges of that.”, Piquery said, as the three aurors behind them picked them up onto their feet by their bound wrists. “Take them to the cells.”.  
“Don't hurt those creatures! Nothing in there is dangerous!”, Newt was desperate, pleading for his creatures' - _Seraph's_ \- lifes.  
“Please don't hurt my creatures! They aren't dangerous! _Please! They're not dangerous!_ ”, he kept pleading as he was dragged away, voice full of fear and tears he didn't want to shed.

“ _They're not dangerous!”_

Newt could barely calm down once they were in the cells. He was worried beyond belief. And only Jacob would understand why -he had seen how much Newt had loved his creatures. And he knew about Seraph. If they entered the case, what would they do with his boy? Seraph's Obscurus was bound to lash out if he got terrified. He may be good at controlling it, but he was still a _child_.

He was crouched in the corner of the cell, finally calmed from his initial panic. He was still worrying beyond belief.  
“I'm so sorry about your creatures, Mr Scamander.”, Tina said, and she _sounded_ genuine. But Newt didn't trust it. Why would she have brought him here, if she hadn't wanted this? “I truly am.”.  
“Can someone please tell me what this Obscurial, Obscurius thing is, please?”, Jacob asked, saving Newt from having to give any sort of reply to Tina -which he hadn't wanted to do either.  
“There hasn't been one for centuries.”, Tine replied, voice soft, hushed. She looked back at Jacob -he was sitting on the uncomfortable bed in the cell, while Tina stood opposite of Newt.  
“I met one in Sudan three months ago.”, Newt muttered. And one was living currently in his case. “There used to be more of them, but they still exist.”, he continued softly.  
“It was before wizards went underground, when we were still being hunted by Muggles. Young wizards and witches sometimes tried to suppress their magic, to avoid persecution. So, instead of learning to harness or control their powers, they developed what was called an Obscurus.”. It clearly hurt Newt to talk about this. He wished there wouldn't be any Obscurial in the world, but... the world was a terrible place.

“It's an unstable, uncontrollable dark force, that busts out and attacks.”, Tina added into the explanation, turning more towards Jacob as she spoke. He still seemed rather confused. “And then vanishes.”.  
She looked back at Newt, and either this topic was just uncomfortable for her, or she was hurt by the thought of these poor kids too. “Obscurials can't survive long, can they?”, Tina asked him softly.  
“There's no documented case of an Obscurial surviving past the age of ten.”, Newt said quietly, voice chocked up slightly. _Seraph was ten_. He was doing well, so so well, but any day, any moment, he could _die_. If his Obscurus burst out too strongly, too violently, he might-

he might never come back to Newt.

He took a few shaky breaths, blinking back tears. “The one I met in Africa was eight when she-”, he cut himself off. It hurt to think about. She had already been dying when he had managed to free her from the clutches of the people keeping her imprisoned. Her Obscurus had already began eating away at her too strongly.  
“She was eight when she died.”, he finished quietly.

“What are you telling me here?”, Jacob asked, confused, uncertain, in disbelief. “That Senator Shaw was killed by a... kid?”.  
Tina and Newt stayed quiet in reply. Technically, yes. It was most likely what had happened, though it wasn't technically a kid who had killed the man. A dark, parasitic, cancerous force that manifested in a poor child, that had lashed out on someone for some reason.

They didn't have to wait long until they were being escorted from the cell -Newt, and Tina. Jacob stayed behind. Newt hated the chains around his wrists. Not that he hadn't felt worse before than this, but it was uncomfortable and cold, and the magic keeping his hands at bay thrumming against his nerves. He didn't want to be interrogated, but he knew he had no choice here.

Turning around, he walked backwards as he looked towards Jacob, still behind bars. “It was good to make your acquaintance, Jacob.”, he said, and he meant it. Jacob was a kind muggle. “And I hope you get your bakery.”.

It didn't take long and Newt was sat on a cold, hard iron chair, wrists still tied, but on his lap now. He didn't raise his gaze to meet Graves', uncomfortable. At least Tina was still here with him, and those two -executioners? Aurors? They didn't seem like aurors.  
“You're a very interesting man, mister Scamander.”, Graves said, not a lot of interest in his voice -if any at all.  
“Mister Graves..”, Tina spoke up, her voice soft and almost pleading, as she took a step forwards. Graves shook his head lightly, a finger on his lips. He looked far too relaxed, lounging in his chair. Tina took her gaze from him all the same, remaining silent.

Sitting back up straight, Graves looked at the documents in front of him. “You were thrown out of Hogwarts for endangering human life.”  
“That was an accident-”, Newt interjected, looking away, trying to glance behind him at Tina.  
“With a beast. Yet one of your teachers argued strongly against your expulsion. Now, what makes Albus Dumbledore... so fond of you?”. Graves seemed... confused, almost. Interested? Newt looked at Graves for a few quiet moments. Why was he interested in his old professor?  
“I really couldn't say.”, Newt answered all the same, voice quiet. He couldn't, he didn't know after all. He didn't much care that Tina behind him looked confused as to why Graves had focused on that, not that Newt knew she looked at them with a puzzling expression.

“So setting a pack of dangerous creatures loose here was...”, Graves seemed to think for a moment, leaning back in his chair and looking around, before his gaze focused back on Newt. “just another accident. Is that right?”.  
“Why would I do it deliberately?”, Newt asked in return, his usually shy gaze meeting Graves' for a few moments.   
“To expose wizardkind.”, was Graves easy answer. “To provoke war between the magical and non-magical worlds.”.  
“Mass slaughter for the greater good, you mean?”, Newt replied, keeping his careful watch on Graves. He could tell what Graves was thinking. He was rather sure of it, at this moment.

“Yes.”, Graves replied, nodding lightly, watching Newt in return. “ _Quite_.”.  
“I'm not one of Grindelwald's _fanatics_ , mister Graves.”, Newt looked at Graves in the eyes, trying to see into the auror's very being. A brief smile flashed over Graves' features, before it vanished again.

“I wonder what you can tell me about this, mister Scamander.”. Graves used wandless magic to raise something that must have been hidden below the table, and Newt was barely surprised by it. Unlike Tina, who looked shocked, confused, as if she couldn't believe what she's seeing.  
Newt turned to her, clearly not afraid or bothered. “It's an Obscurus.”, he told her, “But it's not what you think. I managed to separate it from the Sudanese girl as I tried to save her. So I wanted to take it home and study it. But it cannot survive outside that. It could not hurt anyone Tina.”.  
The Obscurus was a swirling mass of grey, blue, black particles. Almost like sand, twisting and turning in each other, contained in a bubble Newt had cast around it to contain it, so he could study it.

“So it's useless without the host?”, Graves asked, and Newt turned back to him. He could tell it didn't much matter what he said. Graves wouldn't believe Newt had no ill intentions.  
“Useless?”, Newt asked, taking in the interested and almost fascinated look Graves had on the Obscurus. “Useless?... That is a parasitical, magical force, that killed a child. What on earth would you use it for?”, his voice wavered slightly, it seemed so nonsensical to want a use out of an Obscurus. It was a _terrible_ thing.  
Everyone looked at Graves, expectantly, and Newt almost challenging. Only Graves could see his expression after all, so he wasn't afraid to show it.

“You fool nobody, mister Scamander.”, Graves said then, standing up. “You brought this Obscurus into the city, in the hope of causing mass disruption, breaking the Statue of Secrecy and revealing the magical world.”.  
“You know that can't hurt anyone. You know that.”, Newt said, and he was sure of it. Graves would know, being the Director of Magical Law Enforcement, he _had to_.

Graves shook his head lightly, sighing softly. “What about the child?”, he asked, and Newt paled. Tina just looked confused, not understanding.  
“The child you kidnapped, and clearly abused. Altered memories as well, judging from how he acts.”, Graves continued, and Newt bit harshly on his lip, gaze lowered so his hair hung in his face.  
“Child?...”, Tina mumbled, looking at Newt in hopes for answers.  
“He has _nothing_ to do with this. Seraph- he's _my_ child. I rescued him from an abusive family, and he stayed with me since.”, Newt said, looking up at Graves again. It wasn't even a lie. He had been in an abusive household, a half-blood. His parents didn't want a magical child, though. Because his father -a wizard- had hidden was he truly was from his wife. So any sign of magic was punished as if Seraph had been possessed by the devil. And that disgusting man... he'd used curses on Seraph.   
He couldn't remember much of them, usually pain too much for him, or letting him faint. The clear sign left on his skin was of the Cruciatus Curse, though. The thought always made Newt sick -how could someone do that to a child?

“There is nothing to prove your claim. There are no legal papers binding the child to you. And the marks on his skin the healers found showed multiple usage of the Cruciatus Curse.”, Graves replied, shaking his head lightly.  
Tina couldn't believe what she was hearing. Newt had housed a child in his case? She wouldn't believe for one second that Newt would even be _able_ to cast a Cruciatus Curse. He had no ill intent anywhere in his body.  
“You are therefore guilty of a treasonous betrayal of your fellow wizards, kidnapping and abusing a child, and are sentenced to death. Miss Goldstein who as aided and abetted you-”

“No, she's done nothing of the kind-”

“Receives the same sentence.”, Graves finished, and the two executioners stepped forward, pressing their wands to Newt's and Tina's neck. Tina was trying hard to hold it together, close to tears, breaths shaking.  
“Just, do it immediately.”, Graves said, waving his hand slightly. He sounded pained to do this, but.. “I will inform President Piquery myself.”.  
“Tina-”, Newt looked back at Tina, but was interrupted by Graves.  
“Shh.”. He waved the two executioners away. “Please.”.

Tina couldn't hold back her sobs as the two of them were lead out of the room now, and Newt felt more panicked about his creatures and _Seraph_ \- than he was about their impeding deaths. Though he knew he couldn't just let this happen, he couldn't let Tina get killed, or be killed himself.

He had to remain calm as he watched Tina sit in that chair. Pickett freed him from his chains, and with the help of the Swooping Evil, he managed to knock the two ladies out, and safe Tina from death. Pocketing the cocoon of the Swooping Evil again, he grabbed Tina's hand and quickly hurried out of the room, down the halls and through the seemingly maze.  
With the help of the Swooping Evil, they knocked out aurors and deflect spells. Newt's heart was racing, and his thought was on a few things -escaping, his creatures, and _Seraph god where was he what had they done?_

“What is that thing?”, Tina asked as they were running.  
“Swooping Evil.”  
“Well I love it.”.

Rounding another corner, they saw the stairs, and then- Queenie and Jacob stood in front of them. Speechless, Newt saw his case in Queenie's hand, and she held it out after a moment.  
“Get in.”, she said, and quickly she set the case down, opening it. Jacob and Tina were quick to vanish into it, but Newt couldn't.  
“Seraph- we have to find him.”, Newt was still panicking. He was- he was _his child_. They couldn't take him away from him. They would _kill him_ if they found out he was an Obscurial.  
Queenie paled when she heard his thoughts, and she was about to speak up, before she changed her mind -as Newt continued worrying about _his child, they will kill him, he's done nothing wrong oh Mercy Lewis-_  
“We'll find him. I think I know where he'll be. But please, you need to hide now.”, Queenie said, blinking back tears. Newt felt so strongly, he was so terrified for his kid, that Queenie couldn't help deny him searching for him.

Newt was still very hesitant, before nodding lightly, and climbing down into the case. He would check on his creatures, see how they were. Try and distract himself from the thought of his baby not being here, that he had managed to fail him.

Tina was rightfully confused when she saw Newt, near tears, and watched the man hurry off, excusing himself to see his creatures. She and Jacob stayed behind close to the shed, both wanting to give Newt space, and also unsure about the creatures -Jacob had only met them once, after all.  
“Who is this child Graves spoke about? Seraph?”, Tina asked, more herself than Jacob, as she looked around the case from where they were standing. It was a wondrous place, but right now worry made it hard to enjoy it.  
“He's Newt's kid.”, Jacob replied, startling Tina. She hadn't expected him to actually have an answer for her. “He's real sweet. Newt said he had an illness, one that made other wizards afraid of him. Not curable, Newt said he's helping though. And only happens to kids.”.  
“Jacob...”, Tina realized what Newt had told Jacob, without downright saying it. The muggle didn't seem to have understood just yet, though.

“What?”.

“Seraph... he's an Obscurial..”.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot more differences from the movie this time around, I would believe!
> 
> I hope you liked it 💗


	3. Chapter 3

Queenie was determined to find Seraph. She hadn't known about the child, she had no idea who he was or why he was with Newt. All he knew was, that the child had been in Newt's case, was an Obscurial, and meant the world to Newt. As much as his creatures did, if not more. So she had to find him, no matter what. The problem was, that she didn't entirely know where he could be. She had an idea though, since he was a child, and they couldn't have put him in a cell. And Seraph wouldn't have anyone else besides Newt.

So she hurried back upstairs, case clutched tightly in her hand. There were a few offices dealing with children, handling cases of domestic abuse, kidnapped children rescued, and alike. Queenie was rather sure Seraph would be there, somewhere. She just hoped, seeing how the kid was an Obscurial, that everything would be alright, and that he would be safe.

She walked quietly through the halls in her search for Seraph, keeping her mind open to pick up the child's thoughts. It took a while of passing by offices, before she heard the frantic and terrified thoughts that _must_ be from Seraph. So she hurried to the office, gently opening the door and peeking inside.  
“Honey?”, she asked, her voice soft. She could see the mop of blond wild hair in the corner, where the kid was curled up tightly. He was alone, thankfully. He did tense when he heard a voice, and his being seemed a little unstable -the Obscurus trying to get out.  
“It's alright. I won't hurt you. Or do anything. I'm a friend of your mommy.”, Queenie stepped inside the room, quietly closing the door behind herself. At her words, the kid looked up, tears running down his cheeks.

“R-really?”, he asked, sniffing. He looked her over, before he saw the case she was holding, easily identifying it as Newt's. He would _never_ give that away to anyone he didn't trust.  
“Yes sweetie. He's inside the case. As is my sister Teenie, and our friend Jacob.”, Queenie approached, crouching down near Seraph and setting down the case on the ground. She could tell Seraph didn't fully trust her yet, fear clouding his mind.  
“We need to leave quickly sweetheart. Your mommy is safe, and I'll make sure all of you stay safe.”, she smiled softly, and opened up the case, turning it to face Seraph, so he could look inside and see it was Newt's case, and led down to his shed.

“O-okay... Thank you, m-miss..”, Seraph mumbled, rubbing his eyes and nose. Queenie smiled gently and conjured a tissue, giving it to Seraph. After he cleaned his nose, he climbed into the case, watching as Queenie closed it again, before fully descending.

When he was down in the case, Seraph could hear two soft voices just outside the shed. He was hesitant to go, but he needed to find Newt, he loved his mom more than anything in the world. So he really had to face these two strangers -no, he knew Jacob, he was kind.  
He pushed open the door slowly and stepped outside, looking around. He easily saw Tina and Jacob sitting on the ground close to the shed, but he couldn't see Newt around. Where was he? He had to find him! And with that, he probably had to ask Jacob. He could do that.  
So he stepped down and walked up to the two adults sitting there. “'scuse me?”, he spoke up, sniffling and rubbing his eyes again. His voice earned the adults' attention, making them look at him.  
“Seraph!”, Jacob seemed very happy to see him, smiling and turning to face the child. Tina stayed quiet, looking a little surprised seeing the kid.  
“Where's- where's mom?..”, Seraph asked softly, looking at Jacob. He trusted him, Jacob was nice to him. And he liked the creatures too, so he was sure he could trust him.  
“He's with the occamies.”, Jacob replied, smiling softly. “Are you alright?”, he asked then, worried.  
“Y-yes. Miss Queenie found me.”, Seraph replied softly, before he ran off and up the stairs to the bamboo forest, so he could go to Newt.

He found his mom sitting in the occamy nest, laying in it with his limbs sprawled over the edges of the nest. The occamies were curled all over and around him, making sure he was safe and warm. He had his eyes closed, and looked rather unhappy.  
When Seraph approached, one of the occamy raised their head, chirping at the little boy, which gained the attention of the other occamy, making them slither over Newt and make room for the child to climb in as well if he chose to.  
“Go away..”, Newt mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He clearly thought it was one of the other adults, Tina or Jacob maybe. Seraph didn't let himself be swayed by the words though, and instead carefully climbed up into the nest and onto Newt's lap, making the man make a surprised sound and open his eyes.  
“Seraph?”, he asked, eyes widening slightly. Seraph nodded, and was immediately engulfed in a tight hug, smothered against Newt's chest. Seraph clung to Newt, pressing his face against Newt.

“I was so- so _scared_. Did something happen? Did they hurt you? Are you okay?”, Newt leaned back, looking down at Seraph with so much worry in his gaze, Seraph had never seen him like this. It made him feel- weird, _special_. Newt cared so much about him, he never felt so much love before.  
“N-no. I'm okay, no one hurt me. That- that Graves man was really scary though...”, Seraph replied quietly, sniffing. He nuzzled back into Newt's chest, holding on tightly as he scooted back further so he could lean back against the edge of the nest and hold Seraph in his lap.  
“I was so so scared. You- did your Obscurus lash out?”, Newt asked softly, holding Seraph tightly against himself. He had thought- he had been so afraid that Seraph could've _died_.  
“N-no. I was really really scared, but... I kept it under control.”, Seraph replied softly. It had been really hard, he was just a little kid after all, but he had managed. He hadn't wanted to disappoint his mom, and get in danger. Seeing how sad Newt was now, he was more than glad that he had managed to be alright. And only miss Queenie had seen some of his Obscurus, so he was sure he'd be okay.

“I'm so so proud of you. You did so well.”, Newt murmured, holding Seraph close, nuzzling into the boy's hair. He was just so incredibly happy that Seraph was still alive, still with him, and no one had taken him from him. Just being able to hold him, _his child_ , he was happier than anything else in the world. He hoped not many people in MACUSA knew about Seraph, so that he really wasn't in any danger. Newt wouldn't know what to do if Seraph was taken from him, or even worse, _died_.

They fell asleep there, exhausted from the day's happenings. The occamy curled around Newt and Seraph, and Niff joined eventually too. Normally Dougal would've been there with them, but he was still gone, together with the last occamy. Newt already suspected Dougal was taking care of the missing hatchling.

Now that Tina and Queenie knew of Seraph, he was allowed to get out of the case too. Newt would make sure to keep him safe, as would his friends. Seraph was an adorable child, they all were quick to agree, and deserved the best. And the little boy was more than happy to be out, and see New York. It was breathtaking, even with the sun already pretty much set.  
Now, they were all standing on the rooftop, having rested and eaten something all together. Seraph stood next to Newt on the edge, holding his free hand -the other holding his case, of course. Tina was two steps behind him, while Jacob vanished into a little building filled with pigeons. Queenie looked in as well.  
“Your grandfather kept pigeons?”, she asked with a smile, interested in all that was Jacob. “Mine bred owls.” She was smiling at him, as Jacob looked back at Queenie, totally smitten. “I used to love feeding them.”, Queenie continued softly.

“Graves always insisted the disturbances were caused by a beast.”, Tina spoke up softly, stepping up next to Seraph and Newt. She turned to them, looking serious. “We need to catch all your creatures, so he can't keep using them as a scapegoat.”.  
“There's only two still missing. And they're likely together.”, Newt replied, and Seraph nodded, smiling brightly. “Dougal takes care of the occamy! And me!”.  
“That he does.”, Newt chuckled softly, gently ruffling Seraph's hair.  
“Dougal?”, Tina asked, probably never going to get used to how Newt named his creatures. Pickett was sitting on Newt's shoulder, enjoying being able to be out and see the city too.  
“My demiguise. Slight problem is that, uhm. He's invisible.”, Newt replied, not daring to look at Tina, and Seraph gently squeezed his hand.  
“Invisible?”, Tina did not want to believe what she was hearing, clearly.  
“Yes.”, Newt nodded lightly. “Most of the time. He does, uhm.”, he trailed off, slightly shaking his head.   
“How do you catch something-”  
“With immense difficulty.”  
“Oh.”. Tina laughed under her breath, shaking her head lightly. Of course.

Then, she got an idea, stepping closer to Newt -Seraph curiously looking up at her standing between them still. “Gnarlak.”, she said.  
“Excuse me?”.  
“Gnarlak. He was an informant of mine when I was an Auror.”, Tina seemed rather excited about this. “He used to trade in magical creatures on the side.”.  
Newt blinked at her, processing the information. “He wouldn't happen to have an interest in paw prints, would he?”, he asked, though knew it would be rather unlikely. And Newt wasn't willing to give away any of his creatures.  
Tina put her arms on her hips, thinking, before looking back at Newt. “He's interested in anything he can sell.”.

Seraph had to go back into the case, since they place they were going to weren't suitable for children in the slightest. Newt wasn't very comfortable with the thought of it either, but he had to go, so they could find Dougal, and the last occamy.

The whole deal with Gnarlak made Newt incredibly uncomfortable, and he hated even having to _offer_ Pickett to this disgusting goblin. But what else could he do? It was the only thing the man was interested in, and he _needed_ to know where Dougal was. And he was rather sure he could get Pickett back. Somehow. Probably.  
Thankfully that took care of itself, pretty much. With Gnarlak having tipped MACUSA off, they got the chance to flee. And with Jacob punching Gnarlak square in the face, it was rather easy to get Pickett back -no matter how mad the bowtruckel was at him.

But, now they had a location. They knew where Dougal was, and the last occamy was there most likely as well. Seraph got to join them again as well, and the boy was thrilled. He got to see more of the city! And help his mom! He rarely got to help Newt outside of the case, so he was very excited.

They approached the department store, gathering in front of the window as they saw a purse sliding off a mannequins' arm. Seraph looked the most excited of all of them standing there, though he took care not to run off and stay close to Newt at all times.  
Entering, they hid behind some decorations, watching the purse slowly levitating along as Dougal carried it away from them.  
“Demiguise are fundamentally peaceful, but they can give a nasty nip if provoked.”, Newt explained, voice hushed. They could see Dougal now, as he climbed up somewhere slightly, so he could get something apparently.  
“You two.”, Newt addressed Queenie and Jacob. “Head that way.”, he made sure that the two were going the right way, voice barely audible. “And try very hard not to be predictable.”. That made the two of them pause, looking at each other in confusion, before silently agreeing not to question it and continue on.

A faint noise echoed through the store, and Tina looked confused at Newt. “Was that the Demiguise?”, she asked quietly.  
“No.”, Seraph replied, making sure to keep his voice quiet as well. Tina did look at him when he replied of instead of Newt. “That was the occamy.”.  
Newt nodded lightly, and the three of them watched Dougal put the grabbed things into the purse slung over his arm, before continuing on his way. They followed, stopping in their tracks when Dougal stopped. He looked at them, before hurrying off up the stairs. Newt huffed softly, smiling and shaking his head lightly.

They followed upstairs then, as Newt explained near silently. “Its sight operates on probability, so it can foresee the most likely immediate future.”. Newt was trying to sneak up behind Dougal, though he was well aware somewhere here must be the missing occamy as well.  
“What's it doing?”, Tina asked quietly, having no clue what was exactly happening.  
“He's babysitting.”, Seraph replied with a smile. Dougal took care of him too, whenever he was alone in the case.  
“What did you just say?”, Tina looked disbelievingly at Seraph, who was close behind Newt. While the two of them were crouching, slow and cautious behind Dougal, Tina was standing a few feet away from them on the side.  
“This is my fault.”, Newt sighed softly. “I thought I had them all, but, uhm, I must have miscounted. If it weren't for Seraph, I wouldn't have known.”, he smiled softly. Newt was still approaching slowly, Dougal looking from Newt and Seraph back to in front of him. He settled on looking to Newt when he set his case down, and Seraph was crouched next to Newt. Dougal seemed rather content with having them here now.

Finally, Tina noticed what Dougal had been babysitting. Shimmering scales were above her, almost _everywhere_ , blue and turquoise, almost purple. From the mass, a head slowly appeared. Dougal held out a cookie towards it, and with barely a tilt of their head, the occamy ate it. It looked cautious about the humans present -especially Tina.  
She huffed softly with a smile when she saw the occamy, and how Dougal cared for them.

“Occamies are choranaptyxic.”, Newt explained quietly. He was trying his hardest to stay still, not moving fast or a lot. “So they grow to fill available space.”. He looked over to the occamy, which was slowly pushing their head further towards Newt.  
“Mummy's here.”, Newt spoke softly, holding a hand out slowly. The occamy seemed to recognize Newt clearly, but then Queenie -who had appeared together with Jacob- took a step forward. Her shoe hit a Christmas ornament which rolled forward and made a noise. The occamy startled, it pulled back with a hiss.  
“Whoa whoa!”, the occamy moved, and its wing caught Newt and Seraph -who was still clinging to his mummy's hand, afraid of being separated, even if he knew the occamy wouldn't hurt him.

The moving around threw over shelves, and Queenie and Jacob and Tina had to move quickly to avoid getting crushed. Newt and Seraph were mostly safe on the wing, all things considered.  
“We need an insect!”, Newt called, looking down at the others, before making sure Seraph was safe here with him.  
“Huh?”, Queenie looked up at Newt confused, before she looked at Jacob -who had Dougal on his back.  
“Any kind of insect, and a teapot!”, Newt carefully climbed his way up onto the occamy's head, Seraph trying to follow. It was hard though, with the occamy's movements, though at least the fur on the head of the occamy gave a good grip.  
“Find a teapot!”, Seraph called, watching with worries. Tina was on the ground, he couldn't see Queenie, and Jacob was making his way through shelves with Dougal on his back, trying to stopm roaches on the ground.

The occamy got more erratic with its movements, and Seraph could barely hold on, losing grip when the occamy broke part of the roof. With a shriek, he fell for a moment, before he felt Newt manage to grab his coat and pull him back up and underneath him. Seraph barely noticed his shaking, but being pressed against the occamy and Newt's chest made him feel more safe than before.  
“I got you, I got you.”, Newt spoke softly to him, and Seraph nodded weakly. This was scary, he could've fallen out of the roof -even falling to the ground from this height would've been bad for him.

“Teapot!”, Tina shouted, and the occamy finally stilled. She held it out far away from herself, so the occamy and Newt could see. Jacob had managed to grab a roach, holding it in his hand. Everything was quiet, as the occamy looked at the little roach in the muggle's hand.  
“Roach in teapot..”, Newt said, voice quiet and a little strained. This had been rather tiring for him too, to cling to the occamy, and then grab Seraph and pull him up. Jacob nodded weakly, before gently hushing the occamy, running his hand over the soft scales in front of him. Looking back at Tina, he made a small motion with his head, a barely audible “Tina” leaving him.

He threw the roach, and the occamy began moving again, releasing Jacob -who had been pressed against a shelf and the occamy- and enabling Newt to jump down from the occamy, Seraph clinging to his back. Tina was quick to hurry across the room, daring jumps as she tried to get to the roach and catch it in the teapot.  
Newt knew he had to get a lid for the pot, trying to see one as he tried to get to Tina in time as well. “Lid!”, Seraph grabbed a lid from a box, and Newt smiled lightly, patting the hand remaining around his neck. The occamy was raising in the air, shrinking as it went, before descending down towards the pot. Tina lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, holding the pot with both hands, luckily having caught the roach inside of it.

The occamy landed in the pot like a rope falling precisely into it, and just as the last sight of their tail vanished inside the pot, Newt slid forward and onto his knees, and Seraph slammed the lid onto the pot.  
“Choranaptyxic.”, Newt was panting, as was Tina. “They also shrink to fit the available space.”.  
“Tell me the truth.”, Tina said, looking serious at Newt, pretty much ignoring Seraph on his back, who was still holding the lid on top of the teapot. “Was that everything that came out of the case?”.  
“That's everything.”, Seraph said, holding tightly onto Newt. “And that's the truth.”. He clearly didn't like how Tina was acting, so... suspicious of Newt, and not liking his creatures, or case.  
At least she didn't question it any more, and instead Newt took over the lid-holding, and took the teapot from Tina. Seraph got down from his back then as well, gathering the case and bringing it to Newt, setting it down and opening it. Newt smiled at him, proud, before climbing down. Seraph followed him down as well, and Tina took to apparating them all back to her apartment.

“Here she comes.”, Newt said softly, everyone now in the case, as he gave the occamy to Tina. He, Seraph and Tina were taking care of the occamies, while Jacob held Dougal's hand and led him to his nest.  
“You happy to be home?”, he asked with a smile. “Yeah. Bet you're exhausted, buddy. Come on.”, Jacob helped Dougal up so he could climb into his nest, while Tina carefully and kind of clumsily laid the occamy down into the nest. She smiled softly as she watched, before the sound of the Erumpent coming to the edge of her habit made her look to her in wonder.  
Jacob huffed with a smile, shaking his head lightly. He knew all too well how amazing and wondrous this case was to first be inside of and really _see_. He made his way off towards the shed again, Newt following behind -and Seraph trailing after Newt.  
“Ow. Right.”, Newt pulled Pickett out of his pocket, the bowtruckel biting his hand. “I think we need to talk.”, he said, passing by the niffler's hord. He was organizing the shiny coins inside it appeared like.

“I wouldn't have let him keep you, Pickett.”, Newt said, watching the bowtruckel as he walked. Pickett had his arms crossed, not happy. “Think I would rather chop off my hand than get rid of you, after everything that you've done for me. Now, come on.”  
He walked up some steps to another habitat. “Think we've talked about the sulking before, haven't we? Pickett?”, Newt sat a bucket down, going down the steps again. He stopped walking, raising Pickett up a little higher.  
“Come on, give me a smile.”, he said softly, but instead, Pickett blew a raspberry at him. “Pickett, give me a...”, Newt sighed, shaking his head lightly, but smiling. “Alright. Now that is beneath you.”, he set Pickett back onto his shoulder, and Seraph tugged on Newt's sleeve.  
“What is Pickett unhappy about?”, he asked, curiously looking up at Newt. It must have happened when he had to stay in the case earlier today, right?  
“I was forced to give him away to get to know where Dougal is. _But_ I would have gotten him back as soon as possible.”, Newt answered, smiling softly down at Seraph, before promptly picking him up, making the child giggle.  
“I know you would never give Pickett away!”, Seraph chirped, smiling happily as he nuzzled against Newt. It made the older wizard chuckle softly, nuzzling into the unruly mop of blond in return.

Newt set Seraph down on the table as he started making something, talking softly with him, smiling. Queenie joined in after a moment, and not a minute later, Tina came up, asking what they were talking about. At the answer “school”, Jacob got interested.  
“Did- did you say school?”, he asked, curious, walking closer to the group. “Is there a school? A wizardry school here in, uhm, America?”.  
“Of course. Ilvermorny.”, Queenie replied with a smile, watching Jacob pull on his jacket again, while Tina was hanging up her coat on the outside of the shed. Newt's coat hung inside the shed, as well as Seraph's. “It's only the best wizard school in the whole world.”.  
“Nuh-uh! The best wizard school is Hogwarts!”, Seraph chimed up, grinning brightly, making Newt chuckle softly. He may never have been to either school, and may never go to them, but Newt made him biased.  
“Hogwash..”, Queenie said, though clearly meant no ill.

Thunder rolled and crashed through the sky, and everyone looked up to Frank's habitat, as the thunderbird lowered himself down towards its perch, though not landing.  
“Danger.”, Newt breathed. Frank shrieked, and Newt nodded faintly.

“He senses danger.”.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're approaching the end of the movie, and with it, slowly the end of the fic most likely as well!
> 
> If anyone read this, please leave a comment, it'd make my day 💗


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